Wednesday, August 13, 2025

MCCORMICK FALL FINISHING SUGARS


Fall is in the air!! This week McCormick released a new fall line of finishing sugars. They first released Christmas flavors during the holidays last year which were all the rage. They went viral, sold out immediately and were being resold online for 3-5x the retail price. I was lucky to find them in one of my local grocery stores (read more in this post here) but I searched for weeks before finally finding them. When I saw the new fall collection was released yesterday, I immediately ordered them online here. I've already seen them go in and out of stock but as of now, all are available! If you want them, definitely jump on it and grab them fast. I'm sure as a fall item quantities are limited and that they'll sell out fast. You can order them by flavor here or buy all four flavors in this set here

For the new fall collection, there are three new flavors and one repeat from the holiday collection. New for this year is Apple Cider, Pumpkin Spice and Maple Brown Sugar. Salted Caramel came out during the holidays and is being re-released again. I've been the most excited about Apple Cider and Maple Brown Sugar! Pumpkin Spice is always a classic fall flavor (how can you not try it???) and because I like the Salted Caramel flavor from before, I decided to also rebuy it to have in the cute fall packaging. 

I haven't tried them on anything yet but I did a quick little taste test so I could give you some first impressions. Right out of the gate, my two favorites are Maple Brown Sugar and Salted Caramel. Both of these taste yummy and are sweet just like you'd expect. I'm a sweet dessert gal through and through so these are right up my alley. The Maple Brown Sugar isn't a very strong maple taste but I think it's a great universal flavor that would go with/on a lot. The Salted Caramel is just how it sounds- very sweet like caramel with an obvious salt note. A great choice to top coffees, hot drinks + more. 

I'm a little bit torn on the Apple Cider and Pumpkin Spice. These both have a very heavy spice base to them compared to the flavor of the sugar. I'm not entirely surprised for the Pumpkin Spice- some PS items go sweeter, others more on the spicy side. You never know until you try but in this cased, the PS definitely has a strong, spicier nutmeg note which isn't personally my favorite. I've never been a PSL fan and prefer more "sweet" pumpkin desserts so I may not be the best judge on this one. 

I was really thrown by Apple Cider though. While the drink counterpart has spices, it's always still very warm and sweet. This flavor (and the PS) do have some sweetness, however it also pulls more of a savory spice flavor to me. My initial thoughts went to almost a savory, pepper-like taste. Straight out of the container, it's giving a curry vibe versus a fall dessert vibe. At this moment, I'm sadly underwhelmed by these two. They're also both very similar in taste so I think you might either love or hate both. I can definitely pick up more of nutmeg note in the Pumpkin and maybe a tad more sweetness in the Apple, however both are very close to me. I'll be interested to try them out in and on some other items- we'll see if that changes the experience or flavor at all. 

One win all across the board is the texture of the sugars. I love that they use Demerara sugar for those bigger crystals and crunch. It also looks beautiful on top of baked goods, drinks + more! Once I really use them I'll definitely keep you updated and all in all, I'm excited to have them. I love anything fall + foodie so I couldn't pass these up! Definitely try them for yourself while they're in stock- I'll link them again here :) 

What's your favorite fall food/dessert?


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Monday, August 11, 2025

WHAT'S IN MY ABERCROMBIE CART | 8.11.25



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Friday, August 8, 2025

WHAT I WANT | AUGUST

OUAI St. Barts Deodorant // Aritzia Fleece Hoodie // iS CLINICAL SPF Lip Balm // MadHappy Hoodie // Emily Post's Business Etiquette // Birkenstock Clogs // Burberry Goddess EDP // Aritzia Fleece Pants // Jones Road Miracle Balm Palette  

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Wednesday, August 6, 2025

AUGUST READING LIST

AUGUST READING LIST:

You can read the synopsis + shop each book by clicking on the title below: 

+ Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton 

+ Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann 

+ In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace  

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling 

What are you reading this month?


I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :) 

Monday, August 4, 2025

NOTHING BUNDT CAKES STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE SWIRL REVIEW

As a strawberry lover, how could I pass up the Strawberry Cheesecake Swirl Bundtlet at Nothing Bundt Cakes?? It's the current pop-up flavor available through the end of this week! This flavor features a white cake with a cheesecake filling, strawberry glaze and the classic NBC frosting on top. What a delight this is, you guys! From the first bite, the standout for me was immediately the strawberry glaze. It's so so yummy and everything you expect from a strawberry sauce. It's bright, sweet and refreshing which makes this the perfect summer flavor. I also liked that there were hints of the strawberry throughout the cake, however I wouldn't have minded just a bit more. It's light and refreshing, almost like strawberry shortcake before you get into the cheesecake center. 

Initially I wasn't really phased by the cheesecake filling- it was still a little chilled and definitely giving Philadelphia cream cheese vibes in taste and texture. In all fairness- I should disclaim that I only had a quick bite of the filling mostly by itself because it was still firm. It does have that classic cream cheese tang like you would expect and the funny part about this is that when it comes to "real" cheesecake, that's also the way it goes. Plain cheesecake is always more on the tangy, less sweet side until you dress it up with the strawberry sauce or other toppings and unless it's out of this world or exceptionally smooth, I can take it or leave it.

Fast forward to the next day, I finished the rest of the cake with the filling softened up quite a bit. That definitely made the texture more creamy and I was able to really mix it in with the cake. Mixing it all together definitely pulled the flavor profile together for a pretty accurate strawberry cheesecake flavor. Like with the classic dessert, the tanginess compliments the sweetness of the cake, strawberry and frosting. I think they nailed this one and while decadent, it still tastes light and refreshing for summer. Worth a rebuy for sure! 

What do you think- are you trying this flavor?

Friday, August 1, 2025

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

MINI HEALTHY GROCERY HAUL | 7.30.25

Happy Hump Day, ya'll. I did a little mini, mid-week grocery run for a few staples to finish the week off. I'm still a go out to eat gal at heart, however I'm trying to incorporate more cooked meals at home for better nutrition. We're doing a classic protein/veggie/carb this week with some ground beef, green beans + sweet potato which is easy peasy. I usually bake my sweet potatoes but I cubed them this time in the air fryer and they were so good- less mashed vibes and more like a sweet potato fry in flavor. Super yummy! 

My other superrrrrr creative idea is more bagel pizzas, lol. With a Hero protein bagel + some cottage cheese mixed in the sauce, I can get in over 30 grams of protein for around 350 calories. I wasn't sure what I'd think about putting cottage cheese in things, however it's kind of tasteless? I think it gives a sour, wangy flavor to sauces but it always still tastes like whatever I'm making. I also (surprisingly) don't mind the texture... for the pizzas I've both blended it in to sauce + just mixed it in and it was basically the same. I don't know that I'll be eating it on it's own anytime soon but it's nice for adding in a little extra protein to meals! 

That's really the gist for "meals" in this haul- not too exciting, lol. Also a quick psa- I learned how to cut a pineapple this week which is too easy? Honestly you look at them and it just seems like a hassle but I had a wild hair this week to try and it was so easy. Also delish- nothing beats fresh! 

DAIRY
+ 
Good Culture Cottage Cheese
+ Tillamook Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
+ Tillamook Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend 

PRODUCE
+ Pineapple
+ Sweet Potato 
+ Green Beans 

PROTEIN
+ Johnsonville Turkey Sausage Links   
+ 90/10 Angus Ground Beef  

GRAINS/BREAD
Hero Bagels

MISC:
Classico Pizza Sauce 

What's on your menu this week?


I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you click on or make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)